Divorced woman with child travels through time

Brother Nie gathered about ten able-bodied men, who, carrying torches, went to the edge of the mountain.

The group carefully examined the area along the mountainside. Brother Nie walked a little further away, carefully checking the footprints on the path and the branches that had been scraped by the roadside. After confirming everything, he led the group back to the village entrance, where Wang Youcai and several elders were waiting.

"How is it?" Wang Youcai asked eagerly, while the other elders craned their necks and listened attentively.

Brother Nie clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Indeed, as Uncle Tian said, it seems that bandits have come to scout the area. I have looked closely, and there are five of them. There are also horse tracks on the path in the distance. They probably have some designs on our village." This was actually a very tactful way of putting it.

The elderly men looked at each other, bewildered. "What should we do?"

"You're rich? Hurry up and report this to the authorities!" the old man urged Wang Youcai.

"I'm afraid I can't protect my whole family," another person cried out.

Wang Youcai stood up and bowed to Brother Nie.

Brother Nie hurriedly dodged to the side and supported him with both hands.

"Brother, I really need you to discuss this matter thoroughly with Wang Dongjia and Chen Niangzi. Our village is in dire need of your help." Wang Youcai pleaded, jokingly, with so many strong men in Chen Niangzi's village, who else could they rely on but her?

"You're too kind, sir. Let's report to the authorities first, then organize some people to patrol tonight. I'll discuss this with the owner, and he'll surely help if he can." Brother Nie didn't dare to make any promises he couldn't keep.

"Sigh..." Wang Youcai understood and immediately arranged for people to go to the government office and also confirmed the people to patrol at night.

He then shouted, "Don't sleep too soundly at night, make sure your bedroom door is locked, and if you live alone, find someone to share with. Safety is the most important thing, even if you have to squeeze in."

Seeing that Wang Youcai had arranged things in an orderly manner, Brother Nie hurriedly returned to the Wang family.

After recounting the events, Chen Wenfang said, "Brother Nie, I don't understand this matter either. You can discuss it with Erniu when he comes back tonight."

Brother Nie nodded, relieved. It's okay if you don't understand; what's scary is pretending to know what you don't and giving blind orders.

When Wang Erniu returned home, Brother Nie greeted him at the door and told him what had happened. Zhuan Tou then led the horse into the stable.

Wang Erniu entered the inner courtyard and saw that no one had gone home but was waiting for him, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "What are you all waiting here for? Go home. I have my own way of handling this."

After saying that, he put his arm around Chen Wenfang and praised her, "My wife is so capable. The mooncakes you brought today are especially delicious. The owner of the fabric shop ordered twenty boxes. Thank you all for your help later."

Chen Wenfang forced a smile and asked, "How much do you sell it for per box?"

The crowd remained seated, presumably out of concern, waiting for Wang Erniu to give them an explanation.

Wang Erniu laughed and said, "One tael of silver for a box is not cheap. You should go back now. The villagers also informed me today that the government will send people over tomorrow. Don't worry, everyone. For now, each family can stay in one room to look after each other. A plan will be put forward tomorrow."

Everyone was relieved and went home. Even Dazhuang and Shitou went home. Shitou used to sleep next to the three children. They were very close.

Wang Erniu arranged for Li Sange and Wang Xiaoguang to keep watch tonight, and everyone felt relieved and went to rest.

The children were too young to know what fear was; they only thought bad people were coming, and they were all eager to teach the bad guys a lesson. Chen Xuanyu was even so excited that he couldn't sleep.

The three boys still slept together, as close as brothers. Fifteen and Chen Xuanyu had never experienced anything like this before, and they couldn't sleep, so they started discussing it in bed.

Chen Xuanyu asked Fifteen first, "Fifteen, Fifteen, have you ever seen what mountain bandits look like? Are they as chubby as that fat guy from last time?"

Fifteen said in a childish voice, "It shouldn't be like that, right? People who live in the mountains can't be that fat, can they? They can't eat meat every day, and they have to work, so they can't be that fair-skinned, can they?"

"Is this so? Xiao Hao, have you seen this before?" Chen Xuanyu asked the other doll curiously.

“I’ve seen them!” Xiao Hao squinted, he was a little sleepy. “Those people are very bad, and especially fierce. Children should not run around, or they will kill you if they see you. They don’t care if you are a child or not.”

"No way!" Chen Xuanyu and Shiwu exclaimed in unison, "Such vicious villains? No heroes to deal with them?" Chen Xuanyu had recently become obsessed with ancient novels and had a strong desire to become a hero.

"Not all heroes are good. Don't trust people too much, you know?" Xiao Hao said, precociously despite his young age.

"I know all that, I'm just curious how bad guys kill people?" Chen Xuanyu retorted stubbornly.

“How do they kill people? You wouldn’t want to see that, and besides, seeing it wouldn’t be a good thing. Have you ever seen my dad kill a rabbit? Those bad guys will kill people just like my dad kills rabbits, by grabbing them by the neck and bleeding them to death. It’s no different. So we must be careful because we are too young. We must protect ourselves and grow up properly first, understand?” Xiao Hao said with a cold, ruthless, and serious expression.

Chen Xuanyu and Shiwu both shuddered; it was terrifying.

"Let's go to sleep, I'm sleepy," Fifteen said.

"Mmm, I'm sleepy too." Seeing the two of them obediently asleep, Xiao Ahao glanced at them and then fell asleep as well. Honestly, he had to worry about them; they were both older than him!

Inside the room, Chen Wenfang and Wang Erniu had just finished their lovemaking. Looking worried, Chen Wenfang lay on Wang Erniu's arm, playing with his large hand, and asked anxiously, "Husband? What do you think we'll do if the bandits really come?"

"What can we do? Hit him!" Wang Erniu said matter-of-factly. You see, even if something huge happens, a man will still do what he's supposed to do and won't be worried.

“But there are probably many old, weak, sick and disabled people in the village. If a lot of bandits come, they probably won’t be able to escape. What should we do with these people?” Chen Wenfang sat up and asked.

Wang Erniu, worried that she would catch a cold, covered her shoulders with a blanket and said, "In previous years, it wouldn't have mattered if I had the child with me, but now, several villages around us depend on our family for their livelihood. We are a large family with a lot of business. If something happens to us, others will probably not be able to make a living either. Therefore, we must take the initiative and not let the bandits attack us directly."

“But we don’t have enough people here either. Even if we add your brothers, it’ll probably still be a tough fight for the bandits.” Although Chen Wenfang didn’t understand these things, he still knew that there was strength in numbers.

Wang Erniu embraced her and pulled her into his arms, saying, "Don't worry, my wife, your husband has his own plans. He won't fight a battle unprepared. You've had a long day, go to sleep early. I'll let you know when I've made arrangements for tomorrow."

"Alright." Chen Wenfang was indeed tired and fell asleep quickly. Wang Erniu stroked her cheek, thinking to himself, "Don't worry, my wife, I will definitely protect you."